Fourths to samuel g



M. L. CURL. FENCE MA HINE.

2 Sheets-Sheet 2,

(No Model.)

Patented Nov. 16, 1897.

In enfv r fifan'w l fw 7%? v mz'inewJew/ Ulvrrnn STATES PATENT Qrrrcn.

MARI N L. CURL, or CHERRYVALE, KANSAS, ASSIGNO-R or THREE- SAMUEL FENCE-MACHIN E.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 593,717, dated November 16, 1897. Application filed February 19, 1897. Serial No. 624,263. (NomodeL) To aZZwhom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, MARION L. CURL, of

My invention relates to fence-machines;.

and my object is to produce a machine of this character for building wire and wood picket fences with equal facility and'rapidity.

Other objects of the invention will herein after be described, and pointed out in appended claims.

The invention consists in certain novel and peculiar features of construction and arrangement, and in order that the invention may be fully understood I will proceed to describe it with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which a Figure 1 represents a side elevation of my improved fence-machine. Fig. 2 represents, on an enlarged scale, a section taken on the line II II of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a section on the line III III of Fig. 1. Fig. at isa similar view taken on the line IV IV. Fig. 5 is a detailed View to illustrate more clearly the finger-adjusting mechanism. 7 Fig. 6 is a detailed View of one of the wire-twisting sprocket-wheels. Fig. 7 is a section taken on the line VII VII of Fig. 6. Fig. 8 is a detailed view to show the lubricating material or packing within the sprocket-wheels. Fig. 9 is a view which shows a portion of .a wire-picket fence, the wire-tensioning devices, and the wire-twisting machine. Fig. 10 is a plan view of one of the wire-tensioning devices. Fig. 11 is a perspective view of the same with the parts detached.

Like reference numerals refer to corresponding parts in all of the figures.

In the said drawings, 1- designates a tubular standard, preferably of gas-pipe, and provided at its upper end with a handle portion 3 and at various points with diametric holes or apertures 2. A suitable distance from the upperend of the standard a bolt 4 extends through one ofsaid holes, and also through a registering passage in the handle 5, which is recessed or grooved vertically to fit snugly against the standard. A clamping-nut 6 engages the projecting end of the bolt and clamps said handle rigidly in such position. A Washer '7, also recessed or grooved vertically, fits snugly against the opposite side of the standard and is provided also with a registering passage through which said bolt extends.

8 designates a slotted arm engaged also by said bolt and provided with a series of vertically-extending ribs or teeth 9, which engage and are engaged by a correspondingly-roughened surface of the washer 7, so that when said parts are clamped firmly together their relation will be reliably fixed. In other words, whatever points of adjustment the arm 8 occupies upon said washer will be reliably maintained, and thus prevent the loosening of the drive-chain, hereinafter referred to. At its rear end said arm terminates in a ring or annulus 10, and mounted rotatably thereon is a large sprocket-wheel 11, through the center of which extends a bolt 12, by which and the disk 13 upon the bolt and at the opposite side of the ring said sprocket-wheel is held in position. To prevent the wheel from moving in the opposite direction upon the boltthat is, from working or slipping off its threaded enda nut 14 is employed, said nut being screwed a sufficient distance upon the wheel to hold it snugly up against the said disk 13. As long as this arrangement is maintained the dislocation of the sprocket-wheel is impossible. 15 designates a lever or handle which is mounted pivotally upon said bolt between the nut 14. and the nut 16 and is adapted by successive engagements with the pins 17, projecting'from the sprocket-wheel, to rotate the latter. s As the wire-twisting devices and their component and auxiliary parts are duplicated one or more times, a description of one of them will suffice for all.

18 designates an arm which terminates at one end-that is, at what I prefer to call its front end-in a slotted ring or annulus 19, the slot occurring diametrically opposite the arm 18, by preference. The rear end of said arm is thickened for strengthening purposes and is vertically grooved, as at 20, to fit snugly against a correspondinglycontoured standard. Such end is provided centrally with a passage, registering with and engaged by the bolt 21, extending diametrically through the standard. At the opposite side of the standard and mounted also upon said bolt and clamped firmly and rigidly upon the latter by the nut 23 is a slotted casting 22, and said casting, preferably below its center, is formed with a forwardly-projecting horizontal finger 2st, said finger occupying a plane below the axis of the ring 19.

25 designates a companion finger which is arranged above and parallel with the finger 24. The finger 25 at its rear end is provided with a depending vertically-slotted arm 26, through which extends a bolt 27, mounted in the finger 2i, and said bolt is engaged by a clamping-nut 28, whereby said fingers are maintained in their proper relative positionsthat is, above and below the axis of said ring.

29 designates a sprocket-wheel which at diametrically opposite points is radially slotted, as at 30, said slots extending into the hub of the wheel.

31 designates a pair of segmental ribs arranged concentrically.of and at equal distances from the axis of the wheels, and said ribs terminate at opposite sides of the slots 30, as shown clearly in Figs. 7 and S. The annular groove formed between the hub and the said ribs communicating with the inner ends of the slots is adapted to receive lubricating material, such as oil-saturated cottonwaste 32, and such lubricating material is maintained in position by means of the disk 33, said disk being fitted against the ribs 31 after the latter have been inserted in the ring 19, which thus forms the bearing for the sprocket-wheel. The disk at diametrically opposite points is provided with radial slots 3i, which register with the slots of the wheel.

35 designates a wire-spreader of elongated formation and fitting rotatively against the disk It is provided at its opposite ends with notches 30, for a purpose to be hereinafter explained, and in width is equal to or less than the distance between the inner ends of the slots 34, as shown clearly in Fig. 6. Then in the position illustrated in Fig. (5, the spreader is functionlessybut when it is adjusted to the position shown in Fig. 5 it acts to push or force and hold the twisting wires hereinafter to be described, a greater distance apart than when they rest at the inner ends of the slots of the wheel and disk. In a word, when the spreader is in the position shown in Fig. 5 the machine is arranged to build woodpicket fences, and when it is arranged as shown in Fig. 6 the machine is in a condition tobuild wire-picket fences, as for the latter the twisting wires need not be spread so far apart.

37 designates a belt which extends axially through the center of wheel 29, disk 33, and spreader 35, and 38 designates a nut which clamps them firmly together.

To prevent any possible chance of rotatable movement of the spreader when the machine is in operation, which obviously would interfere seriously with the work, I provide the bolt 37 at its headed end with a square neck 30, upon which the spreader is non-'rotatably mounted.

In assembling the parts of the machine together a number of said twisting mechanisms are arranged upon the standard inthc manner described at regular intervals apart, the number employed being determined, of course, by the height of the fence to be built.

In building what is known as a pig fence the twisting-wheels are arranged at comparatively short distances apart, and the holes will be provided in the standard accordingly. After the twisting-wheels are thus arranged a drive-chain 4-0 connects them with the drivewheel 11, the chain by preference extending in a zigzag line, so as to engage every alternate sprocket-wheel at the same side, and consequently twist the adjacent wires or strands in opposite directions.

In order that the wire pickets employed in connection with this machine may be positively and reliably arranged in the same horizontal plane at the upper end, I provide a supporter constructed as follows and arranged vertically above the topmost twisting-wheel:

41 designates a clip which embraces the standard l,and 42 a casting mounted upon said clip and clamped firmly against said standard by means of the nuts 43, engaging the threaded ends of the clip. Said casting extends transversely of the arms or fingers and is provided with a horizontal groove in its face, in which is firmly and reliably clamped the gage and supporting-rod 44, the nuts 33 and washers- 45 accomplishing this purpose. Said rod is a support in that the pickets hang thereon and is a gage because that portion of it between the casting and the completed portion of the fence determines and regulates the distance between the pickets.

-16 designates my improved wire-tightening device. It is bifurcated at one end and at its opposite end is provided with a duplicate series of lugs 47, around which the twisting wires are secured in the customary manner, as shown in Fig. 9, so that the wires are kept at the proper tension, but will yield under the longitudinal strain imposed by twisting the wire, as will be readily understood.

4S designates a shaft or winding drum which is journaled in the bifurcated end and forms a part of the tension device. It is provided with a hole 49 and at one end is squared, as shown at 50, for engagement by a key or wrench (not shown) and provided with a series of teeth 51. One of the arms is provided with a hole 52, having an offsetting or communicating notch 53.

5-l designates a dog arranged to engage by gravity one or another of the teeth 51 and provided with a cylindrical arm 55, j ournaled in the hole 52 and provided at its inner end with a lug 56, which prevents the accidental dislocation of the dog 54 from position. By rotating said dog to a certain position said lug registers with the notch or opening 53, and consequently permits of the removal of said dog. One of these tension devices is provided for each pair of twisting wires, and is in turn connected to the anchor-post 58 by wire 57, said wire being threaded through the opening 49 of said winding-drum or-shaft or otherwise secured thereto. After the tension devices have been properly arranged with respect to the anchor-wires the twistingmachine is arranged adjacent to the fencepost 59 and the series of fence-forming wires secured thereto, which latter are threaded through the slots of their respective twistin gwheels, this being easily accomplished because the rings 19 are slotted, as hereinbefore described and shown. In threading said wire one of them is slipped laterally through the opening of the ring 19 into a registering slot of the wheel. The latter is then turned half-round, or through a distance of one hundred and eighty degrees, to bring the other slot opposite saido'pening and permit the or fine wire is employed, saidfingers will be brought nearer together by proper adjustment. If wood or barb-wire pickets are employed, it will be desirableto spread the wires as far apart as possible, and to accomplish this the spreaders 36 are' disposed or arranged as shown in Figs. 1 and 5. If, on the contrary, smooth-wire pickets are employed, it will be found desirable to dispose the spreaders in the position shown at Fig. 6.

The parts being properly arranged, the operator grasps the handle or lever 15, and, with the bolt 12 as a fulcrum, causes it to bear heavily against one of the pins 17 and rotate the drive sprocket-wheel 11 and the twistingwheels. This manipulation of the lever is repeated a suflicient number of times, each time engaging a different pin 17 to twist the wires the requisite distance. If the spreaders are employed, a wood picket or a barb-wire picket is now arranged between the wires and the manipulations of the handle or lever repeated, so as to clamp the picket firmly and reliably in position. This operation is continued, the pickets being arranged at regular intervals, until the fence is completed.

In case an ornamental wire-picket fence is desiredsuch, for instance, as shown in Fig.

9 of the drawingsI support the wire picket upon the arm orrod 44 as it is clamped in position by the twisting of the horizontal or tie wires. As the wires are twisted the machine of course is moved away from the picket and the supporting-rod is gradually withdrawn from the picket. At the moment the rod and the picket become disengaged, which is when the machine has traveled or been moved a distance equal to the length of the rod from its end to the casting 43, a new picket is inserted between the twisting wires and placed upon said rod. By this arrangement it is obvious that the pickets may be easily and quickly placed at regular distances apart without measurements and with a saving of time. After the machine has moved a sufficient distance from the picket its bent end, which at first is arranged transversely of the rod, is swung around in the plane of the fence and hooked below the topmost twisting wires in the customary manner, so as to prevent the withdrawal of the picket. It will be noted that as each twisting-wheel is automatically lubricated, and also the drive-wheel 11, which is not disclosed internally because it is of the same construction as the twistingwheels, the machine may be operated with comparatively little power, and this operasorted to without departing from the spirit and scope or sacrificing any of the advantages of my invention. 4

Having thus described m y invention, what' I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1.. In a fence-machine, the combination of a standard, a bolt extending therethrough, an arm mounted upon said bolt and clamped against the standard, a rotary twister journaled upon said arm, a horizontal finger below the axis of said twister and provided with a vertical slot through which said bolt projects, a clamping-nut engaging said bolt and said arm, a bolt carried by said finger, a second finger arranged above the axis of the twister and provided with a slotted portion adj ustably mounted upon the last-named bolt, substantially as described.

2. In a fence-machine, the combination of a standard, an arm carried thereby, a twister rotatively mounted on said arm, and provided with an annular chamber containing lubrieating material, and diametrically opposite slots communicating with said chamber, substantially as described.

3. In a fence-n1achine, the combination of a standard, an arm carried thereby and terminatin g in a ring, a twister rotatively mounted in said arm and provided with diametrically opposite radial slots and an internal annular chamber containing lubricating material, and an adjustable wire-spreader, provided with notches in its opposite ends, substantially as described.

4-. In a fence-machine, the combination of a standard, an arm carried thereby, atwister rotatively mounted or journaled in said arm and diametrically slotted at opposite points, a bolt extending through said twister, an elongated spreader fitting non-rotatively upon said bolt, and a clamping-nut holding said twister and said spreader reliably together, substantially as described.

5. In a fence-machine, the combination of a standard, a series of rotary twisters provided with teeth peripherally, a drive sprocket wheel, an arm carrying the same rotatively, and provided with a longitudinal slot and vertical teeth,a similarly-toothed *ashcr mounted upon the standard and engaging the teeth of said arm, a clamping-bolt extending through said arm, washer and standard, to maintain the sprocket-wheel in the position to which it is adjusted, a chain connecting said sprocket-wheel and said twisters, and means to rotate said sprocket wheel, substantially as described.

(3. In combination with a wire-twistin g machine, a tension device comprising a casting having lugs for engagement with the wire, a shaft or drum journaled in its opposite end and provided with a square and toothed head, a dog pivotally mounted in the tension device and engaging one of said teeth, and provided with a lug at the end of its pivot to prevent accidental disconnection from the tension device, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

MARION Ii. CURL.

\Vitnesses:

JIM SANDERS, G. A. CAILEY. 

